Darjeeling, Sept. 4 -- Spurred by the recent hotel fires in Kolkata and Tarapith, the Fire Department has started issuing notices to hotels, homestays and restaurants in the Darjeeling Hills and Kalimpong, stating that many have violated fire safety norms and do not have fire safety licences to operate. Hotel owners, however, claim that the prerequisites for obtaining a fire licence are not feasible in the Hills due to the region's topography, space constraints and water scarcity. The issue has emerged ahead of the festive tourist season.
"Around 64 hotels and restaurants have received such notices in the past week. Some have received second notices and one property has received a third notice that amounts to an FIR and sealing of the property. We have met the MLA, District Magistrate and held a meeting with GTA officials. We have apprised them that the prerequisites are not practical or doable in the Hills. We hope that an amicable solution comes out soon, else we will never qualify to obtain the fire licence," said Siddhant Sood, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Kalimpong (HRAK), speaking to the Millennium Post. Failure to obtain a fire licence would mean closure of the properties.
The prerequisites include a 10,000-litre overhead water storage tank for use during fires, dedicated fire hydrants and water sprinklers in rooms. "When there is scarcity of drinking water, how do we arrange for 10,000 litres of water for fire? Such overhead storage tanks are not possible, neither are underground ones as there is scarcity of land and this region falls in a high seismic zone.
All the fire hydrants of the British period have disappeared. In the Hills, houses have low ceilings, how can we fit sprinklers?" questioned Sood. "We have got verbal assurances that no coercive action will be taken under Section 35 of the Fire Act till the matter is settled and that we can take bookings for the festive season. This is short-term, but a permanent solution has to emerge," Sood said.
Tanmoy Goswami, general secretary, Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network (HHTDN), said a communication had been sent to the Tourism minister seeking a "Geography-Sensitive" and risk-based fire safety and compliance framework for hospitality establishments across West Bengal, particularly North Bengal.
The West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services notices directed establishments to obtain the necessary Fire Safety Certificate and Fire Licence Self-Certification, failing which legal action would be initiated.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.